Zona Hurls No-Hitter to Keep SPM Baseball in Playoff Hunt

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Thursday, May 23, 2013

Matt Metcalf, GoLocalWorcester Sports Contributor

Zach Zona led the Guardians to a 2-0 win with a no-hitter against Shrewsbury.

UMass Amherst commit Zach Zona kept the playoff dream for the St. Peter-Marian Guardians alive yesterday, as he threw a no-hitter and fanned nine batters in a 2-0 victory over Shrewsbury High School.

Zona now has a team-leading four wins, which is good for second best in the Central Mass. Division. He is also leading his division with 51 strikeouts and has posted a 1.26 earned run average, while allowing just 13 walks in 38.2 innings pitched. This wasn't Zona's first no-hitter of the season, however, as he accomplished the feat earlier in the season against Burncoat High School as well.

The Guardians probably believed that getting into the playoffs would be a sure thing this year, boasting maybe the top and deepest pitching staff in Central Mass, anchored by Zona and fellow Division I commit, junior Jack Riley, who is committed to the University of Connecticut. However, there's no question that Zona and Riley have done their part, as the two pitchers have combined for seven out of the Guardians ten wins this season.

Although it's probable that the Guardians will make the playoffs, it's anything but a sure thing. In a season in which wins have been hard to come by, the Guardians still have to win one of their next three games to qualify for a postseason berth. St. Peter-Marian currently sits in second in the Central Mass. Division with a league record of 2-3 and an overall record of 10-9. The Guardians are behind first-place St. John's High School. Known for their typically strong baseball program, the Pioneers haven't disappointed this season, posting an in-league record of 5-0 and an overall record of 16-4.

The Guardians finish their season this week with a game at home against 10-6 Leominster on Wednesday, before playing two games this weekend in the Mass Schoolboy Memorial Day Tournament at Newton South High School. St. Peter-Marian's first game of the tournament is against Waltham High School and their second opponent is to be determined.